“You
are the light in this dark world and sometimes you are the only light there
is.” “As I heard the Lord whisper theses words into my soul, I was looking out
at the mountains of Nilgiris, India where I could see hundreds of tea workers
from the Badaga villages. At that moment
my heart was full of sorrow and all I could do was cry out for these people who
do not know the love of God. Ever since
that day my heart has been burdened for the Badaga people, who are from the
mountain villages that I see around our home.
One
day while we went to visit my friend Archna, we decided to take a different
route to the top of the hill. As we walked, we had no idea where we were going. All around us were hundreds of trees and dirt
paths. We stopped to ask each other which
path we should take. I stopped and said, “Lets ask the Lord where he wants to
take us.” At that moment, I heard, “Straight.” As we started walking straight, we saw about
two hundred Badaga women laboring in the tea fields. I stopped and asked the Lord,
“Do you really want us to walk through all of these women?” I heard a solid “yes” from the Holy
Spirit. Step by step, I started shaking
their hands and hugging them. A few of
the ladies started dancing with us in their traditional dances. I felt the LOVE
of God dive down into that place.
As
we kept going, we found ourselves hiking up steep hills and before we realized
it, we ended up at a school. Through the
windows of the school building, I heard children saying “hello” with excitement
in their voices. As I started giving the kids high fives, one of the teachers
approached us. For a moment, I thought I
must be a nuisance to him because I was the source of the children’s
distraction. Then he asked me, “Where are you from?” As we started a conversation
with him, I asked where the kids were from. He pointed to the village at the
top of the hill. I felt eagerness in my heart because this was the Badaga
village that we’ve been praying for. He asked if we would like to come and
teach at the school. As we left the school all I could do was cry and rejoice
that God is so GOOD to us.
As
we walked to my friend Archna’s place to love on her, I realized that there are
many doors being opened for some of us to reach the Badaga people. We may have
the opportunity to reach the children from the Badaga villages, and as we
approached the shop where Archna works, I remembered that she is also
Badaga. I have been visiting her and her
family every week to show her the love of Christ. The Lord has given me a heart for her and her
family. Although I know that only He has opened this door, God has been
impressing in my heart that it will not be easy for her to come to know Him. It is only by the power of His Holy Spirit
that she will be saved, so I must regularly be on my knees praying for her and
her family. As I’ve prayed for her, she has become more open with me when I
talk about God. As I once told her that I pray for her every day, she replied
in gratitude, “Thank you, I really need that.” God is softening her heart. I
know that He is going to do something amazing through this relationship. Please
keep praying for her and her family.
(Archna and Family)
One
day, I know that no longer will a temple stand at the top of the hill where the
Badaga village rests, but a cross and a reflection of God’s grace and love. I
also know that Archna will also know who her true God is and will finally know
the grace and love of God.
Please
continue to pray for the ministry here in India and that God will continue to
soften hearts. Also pray for funds to continue to come in for this ministry. I
am in need of $1000 for living costs. I also need to raise an additional $4000
in order to purchase transportation to reach the people of the Nilgiris.
If you would like to give to this ministry and
support me in this go to: www.mogiv.com/rockmissions/ruthcontreras
